Chapter 116
Chapter 116
The unrelenting desert sun beat down on the column, but the atmosphere was thick with a strange mixture of tension and confidence. The core Faction team was now backed by Ren's Beast-bound army, a silent, formidable circle of protectors that seemed to ignore the heat.
Axton and Ren walked at the front, their proximity a visible declaration of their unified purpose. The holographic map shimmered between Kael and Dorian, who were monitoring the progress.
"How many more hours?" Axton questioned as they navigated a field of tall dunes and sheltering rock formations, finding momentary respite from the harsh glare.
"Three hours, Captain," Kael replied, zooming in on the map. The red dot representing the Origin Signal was frustratingly persistent.
"Still steady?" Axton glanced back at Kael.
"Yes, although, I see nothing but rocks," Kael answered, swiping across the map to confirm the visual data. "And a whole lot of empty sand. It's a dead zone."
"Let's get there first, we'll deal with other factors when the time comes," Ren said, briefly touching Axton's arm. The gentle gesture was a reassurance, a private reminder of their shared commitment.
Axton looked at Ren and gave him a smile, a flash of the easy affection that now existed alongside their heavy responsibilities. "Yes, Captain." He winked.
As they cleared the last of the rocky outcrops, the landscape opened up into a vast, flat expanse of shimmering sand. The terrain felt wrong to Ren.
"Stop," Ren commanded, raising a hand.
The entire column—soldiers and Beast-bound alike—came to an immediate halt. The creatures surrounding them shifted, their collective silence now radiating a sense of alert.
"What is it, Ren?" Axton asked, his hand instantly going to the side of his own Beast-bound uniform.
Ren didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes, letting the Beast sense the landscape. The ground felt... too quiet. His Beast didn't sense the raw energy of a massive, ancient Anomaly artefact; it sensed dead space.
"The signal is a lie," Ren stated, opening his eyes, the irises flashing gold for a moment. "It's too consistent. Too clean. My Beast feels a massive energy shield, not a source."
Kael immediately checked the holographic map again, running a deep scan. "He's right, Captain," Kael reported, his voice tight. "The frequency is synthetic. It's like a decoy beacon masking a huge energy signature beneath. We're walking into a trap."
"General Conan," Axton growled, the betrayal burning fresh. "He must have planted the beacon to draw us into a contained area."
"Or it might not be him," Ren muttered, halting behind a rock.
"Captain, do we ask them to halt?" Rhys walked over, a small communication device in his hand. The device was connected to the earpiece each soldier was wearing for easy communication.
"Yes," Axton replied with a firm nod.
Rhys immediately turned away, ordering the soldiers behind to stop marching and stand at alert.
"What do you mean it might not be the General?" Axton questioned Ren, stepping closer to him.
"The decoy beacon might be strong, but I do feel some semblance of pure energy here, it's almost like whoever is in control of that energy is trying to protect it from us.
Axton frowned and turned to Dorian, "Send a few men, give them a tracker. I need them to find the particular point of this signal." He commanded.
"Yes, Captain." Dirian nodded and Mar he'd into the column to share tiny devices amongst a few men.
Soon, the men were scattered all over the terrain, searching for the signal.
"I do feel like my father has a hand in this," Axton murmured, glancing around the rocky terrain.
"You might just be right, but it doesn't take away the fact that the signal is truly here," Ren spoke calmly, his eyes going straight to the largest and tallest rock far away ahead.
"I might not have a tracker, but I think that rock is the signal. It calls to my Beast," Ren muttered, pointing his hand ahead.
"You think so?" Axton asked with a tilt of his head as he regarded the rock in confusion.
Ren nodded.
"What the fuck are we supposed to do with a rock? I thought it was some kind of mysterious portal?" Kael questioned, staring at the rock with utter disbelief.
"Let's make sure I'm right, first," Ren took a tracking device from Dorian and looked at Axton, "Coming?" He asked.
"Why not?" Axton chuckled and led the way.
"Come on," Kael said to Dorian.
Dorian took a step but paused, slowly turning to the person behind him, "Follow, Commander. You need to alert your men for backup in case of any... anything." He said to Reed, who was holding a similar communication device to Rhys.
Reed sighed and gave a short nod, "Of course." He said and walked past Dirian without looking at him.
He had been glad last night when Reed left their shared tent to go stand guard, and earlier in the morning, they hadn't had the opportunity to exchange words as usual due to duties. But now, Reed could tell that Dorian had found a free time to annoy him.
He would just ignore Dorian, he had nothing to do with an ordinary soldier.
Ahead, Ren and Axton stood in front of the large rock, staring up at the peak.
"It's quite a tall rock. Turn it on," Kael spoke behind them.
Ren took a deep breath and raised the device in front of him, slowly, his thumb pressed down on the single round button in the centre of the device.
Nothing happened.
Ren sighed, shaking his head, "I guess I'm wrong –"
"Not wrong!" Kael suddenly gasped, lifting Ren's hand with the device.
"Look, the green blinking light, means you're right, you found the signal." Kael hugged Ren, laughing.
Ren blinked slowly, hope surging through his heart as he stared at the green blinking light.
He looked up at Axton and found him smiling softly at him, his eyes proud.
"You did, baby, you led us to victory," Axton gently ruffled Ren's hair and pulled him in for a hug.
"But what do we do next?" Ren questioned, staring at the rock.
"Do we bomb it?" Kael asked.
"No. What if there's a mineral in there that we need for the world's survival? We can destroy our only hope when we just found one," Axton said, glancing around him.
"Dorian, ask a few men to come over here," Axton commanded.
Eagerly, Dorian turned to Reed by his side, "Ask your men to come over here, Commander." He said, his voice polite but only Reed could see the mockery in his eyes.
"Of course," Reed nodded.
"Batch 1&2, March toward the captain. Signal has been secured," He spoke into the communication device.
Immediately, the sounds of boots marching on the sand were heard from behind them.
"What are you planning?" Ren questioned.
"Dig this baby up," Axton smirked.
"What?" Ren asked in disbelief, his eyes narrowing.
"You can't. It might take forever," Ren tried to reason.
"Then, we'll try forever," Axton whispered.
Ren sighed, "Fine. Digging it is." He murmured.
"Hi, brother. I'm in batch one," Mira suddenly jumped in front of Ren, smiling widely with her notebook in hand.
Ren sighed, "I asked you to stay with Tide." He said, and gently pulled her away from the rock.
"Well, Mr. Tide seems to have other priorities," Mira said haughtingly, pointing toward Tide, who was speaking to Rhys by the corner.
Ren and Axton shared a knowing look.
From Mira's sudden outrage toward Tide, they could sense that something must have happened between them and now she is feeling like she isn't getting enough attention.
"Don't worry, he'll come back to you, he just has to do some soldier's duties," Ren patted his sister's head, smirking.
"What are you smirking at?" Mira slapped Ren's hand away and went to stand beside Dorian as a few soldiers walked forward with drone-like devices in their hands.
"Nothing, I'm just happy for you," Ren met Mira, leaning on the rock behind him.
"Happy for what? Weirdo brother," She cleared her throat, glaring at him.
"In fact, I take Dorian as my charge –"
"I will have to decline, Mira. My hands are already full," He passed Reed a taunting smirk, making sure the Commander understood his cryptic words.
Mira sighed, glancing at Tide once more.
She had slept alone, woke alone, and ate alone.
'Then why the hell did he bother last night?' She bit her lip and looked away.
She opened her notebook and turned to Axton.
"So, Captain, why are your men placing those objects around the rock?" She went back to her journalism, ready to write dien history.
Axton watched as his men—supported by Reed's detail—started deploying specialised geo-sonic resonators around the base of the rock.
"They're not digging with shovels, Mira," Axton explained. "These are resonators. They use focused, low-frequency sound waves to loosen the subterranean rock structure. We're going to shake this thing free from the ground without damaging the core. It's the cleanest way to extract it."